Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Life on the Douro: Zev Robinson's Documentary Captures the Essence of Place

Although I have never met Zev Robinson, I feel as if I know him. We chat on twitter and always seem to be just one or two weeks behind each other in our travels. Many near misses, but I hope to see him soon at one of the screenings for his new documentary Life on the Douro. Robinson's film traces 300 years of history of the Douro wine producing region in Portugal featuring interviews with many of the key figures working in the region today. Here is a preview below.

I supported Zev's IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for the film and I recently got an advance copy of the film. I toured the Douro this past February and it was great to re-live my visit and reconnect through the film with the people I met including Adrian Bridge, George Sandeman and Oscar Quevedo--all of whom I have written about previously here in this blog.

If Oscar Quevedo is not elected Ambassador of Portugal Wine, I imagine no one ever will. It would be hard for anyone else to match his enthusiasm. His easy charm and infectious joy for the wines of Portugal is so genuine. We were on the same bus at the 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference and after spending time with him and his then girlfriend Nadia, I vowed to visit the Douro and see his family's Quinta. I got very very close to that goal back in February but due to a scheduling sanfu, I missed the Quevedo winery by about 6 miles and 3 hours. Luckily Life on the Douro spends much quality time with the Quevedos and through the film I feel like I got to visit there after all.

I loved this film. It's a kiss on the lips to the Douro and the winemakers. If you have been to the Douro this film will deepen your experience, and if you have not yet been, this will be your tipping point to go and make your own discoveries.

The film premiered on September 6, 2011 as part of the Douro Film Harvest festival and plans are being made for screenings in North America and Europe over the next year including these dates in California.